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Analysis Series
Analysis/0049/July/2026/London-Dialogue. 19 July 2026
Women remain underrepresented in nuclear security, as Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) data shows that women are only 24.9 percent of the nuclear sector workforce. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an intergovernmental platform, is making tangible efforts in the form of Women in Nuclear Security Initiative (WINSI) which was launched in 2021. It aims to encourage gender equality in nuclear security within the global community of practice. WINSI endeavours are evident since the number of women has spiked from 35 percent to almost 65 percent between 2021 and 2024 in professional roles within the IAEA Division of Nuclear Security.
Figure 1 Women’s Representation in Professional Roles within the IAEA Division of Nuclear Security, 2021–2024
Barriers for Women in Nuclear Realm
The Gap Before the Hiring Room
However, when looked at in its entirety, the barriers women face in the nuclear domain become evident. The broader picture suggests that women’s entry into nuclear security is limited by a small feeder pool in nuclear STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) with only 20.6% women’s representation. Moreover, recruitment patterns that traditionally draw from male-dominated military, law enforcement, intelligence, and security services also contribute to the low representation of women in nuclear safety and security since they cover just over a quarter of all professional jobs, as IAEA reports. This showcases that the gender gap begins even before hiring decisions are made.
Conventional “Guns, Guards, and Gates” Model
Besides, the area of nuclear security has often been associated with the “guns, guards, and gates” model, implying its physical nature and reliance on security personnel. Such a conceptualisation ignores the current state of affairs regarding nuclear security, as it now includes cyber security and involves multi-domain operations where women can take an active part. As a result, this outdated perception has discouraged many women from viewing nuclear security as their possible career choice.
Scarcity of Female Role Models
Additionally, women’s advancement is also affected by the limited presence of female role models, with only 37 percent of surveyed women reporting access to female mentors or role models as per NEA’s international survey of women working in the sector. Work-life pressures, family responsibilities, and expectations of constant availability also restrict career progression. These barriers contribute to the leadership gap, with women holding only 18.3 percent of senior leadership roles in the nuclear sector. This makes gender inclusion not only a fairness issue but also a capacity issue.
Workplace Hostile Attitudes
What matters the most is that workplace culture remains a major barrier. NEA evidence from more than 8,000 women shows that male-dominated culture limits their contribution, 52.2 percent reported hostile behaviours or attitudes toward women, 44.7 percent reported sexual harassment experiences or accounts, and 41.7 percent of survey respondents believe that women are not valued in their workplaces. These conditions weaken retention and reduce women’s ability to contribute fully.
Women in Nuclear Field
Breaking the Mold
Notwithstanding the gender disparities in the field, women have played significant roles in nuclear science, diplomacy and decision-making. Especially, who can forget Marie Curie who was indefatigable? She discovered polonium and radium and became an icon in the world of nuclear science. Lise Meitner unravelled the mysteries of nuclear fission, leading the world to low-carbon nuclear energy. But their legacy is more than just scientific.
Furthermore, Rose Gottemoeller served as the chief United States negotiator of New START from 2009 to 2010 while she was the Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance. Ambassador Elayne Whyte Gómez served as the President of the United Nations Conference that negotiated and adopted the historic Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
On top of that, Beatrice Fihn is the executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) which received the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. These examples demonstrate that despite being fewer than men in numbers, women have already made a mark in the sphere of the nuclear field.
Disproportionate Impact on Women
Nevertheless, when the question arises as to why women’s participation is crucial in the nuclear field, the one side of the story can be substantiated even through the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. It held that nuclear weapons and ionising radiation affect women and girls disproportionately. Consequently, women’s participation becomes necessary in the formation of policies concerning disarmament, arms control, humanitarian protection, and nuclear matters. The other side of the inclusion is that without their participation, security will remain incomplete since their intellect, efforts and strengths can make nuclear security more secure. Thus, inclusion of women in the nuclear debate has the ability to strengthen the already established safety and security protocols in the nuclear domain.
Inclusivity in Nuclear Domain
By leveraging inclusivity, nuclear security can be bolstered through improvement in threat assessment, broadened risk analysis, and increased trust in institutions. In this regard, words of Lydie Evrard, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, can be instructive as she emphasises gender equality in nuclear safety and security. She maintains that it is not only a cornerstone of collective strength but also a way to enrich understanding through diverse perspectives. Inclusion ensures equal access to opportunities and resources, which consequently contributes to the success of the nuclear safety and security work. Thereby, diverse teams are better suited to address modern nuclear threats because today’s security challenges require technical, diplomatic, and communication skills. Also, inclusive workplaces can improve security culture, innovation, resilience, and stakeholder legitimacy.
Pathways toward Parity
Thus, practical measures are required in order to reduce impediments in the way of women’s strides toward equal representation in the nuclear field. First, stronger university pathways can be made for girls, like the IAEA has encouraged universities to admit more women to nuclear programmes and has also launched the IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme.
Second, balanced recruitment, mentoring programmes, flexible career structures and recruitment beyond military and law enforcement pipelines are needed. These features are necessary for attaining equality in representation.
Third, institutions need to have set goals, regular reports, enforcement of anti-harassment regulations, senior-level accountability and enough resources to ensure that inclusion of gender in nuclear security does not remain a symbolic practice.
Last but not least, gender-disaggregated data must be utilised by the governments, which will assist in identifying, measure and analyse inequalities between genders. It will ultimately help in practical policy-making to ensure gender parity in the nuclear realm.
Conclusion
All in all, nuclear security will remain an incomplete endeavour until its missing half is brought into the fold. Women’s inclusion in nuclear security is as important as men’s involvement in the field. Leveraging their expertise, contributions, and leadership is not a matter of equity but a strategic necessity for achieving true global security, which will remain out of reach until their intellectual and operational contributions are fully integrated into the field.
Samreen Shahbaz
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